Star Wars: The Old Republic Sisters of Carnage Update Goes Live

The latest update (5.3) to Star Wars: The Old Republic is now live and brings in plenty of new content including a Manaan Retreat, new bosses and compansions. Here are the details:

Game Update 5.3 – Now Live!

“SISTERS OF CARNAGE”

Rally your team for CARNAGE as the next Operation battle arrives: prepare to face off against the legendary superweapons, Aivela and Esne. Build your elite team of eight or sixteen players and wage war against these twin-sister droids to determine the fate of the galaxy!

When the battle is over, unwind on the legendary planet of Manaan in your new Stronghold! Now you can call this water-world home – personalize a sprawling ocean-side estate, complete with panoramic vistas and exotic submarine sights!

Highlights

Manaan Stronghold: Kick back and relax in your own personal Manaan Retreat, complete with expansive ocean views, underwater chambers, and sleek styling that can be furnished and decorated to suit your personal style!

Operation Boss Battle: Aivela and Esne: Gather your most elite friends and allies to face these twin superweapons in the second encounter of the Gods from the Machine Operation!

Customizable Companions – Lana Beniko and Koth Vortena: Your trusty allies can now take full advantage of the galaxy’s many fashionable items!

General

Visual improvements have been made to loot indicators on fallen enemies.

The cooldown of Rocket Boots will now be triggered if it is selected when using the Random Mount ability.

Improved Speeder Piloting 4 and 5 now works for all mounts.

When creating a Cathar, the fur color 3 option will now be consistent regardless of what Cathar head is chosen.

Players who are unable to retrieve Malavai Quinn or Elara Dorne from the Companion Locator Terminal should now be able to do so.

Lana Beniko and Koth Vortena can now have their visual appearance customized.

The Galactic Stronghold Decoration UI has been updated to include a search field.

The maximum number of Strongholds a player can have at one time has been increased to 6.

Classes +Combat

General

Area-of-effect damage-over-time abilities have been updated to be consistent in that they will not break objective channeling in Warzones (such as capturing a node in Alderaan Civil War). The affected abilities include:

Plasma Probe

Incendiary Grenade

Orbital Strike

XS Freighter Flyby

Jedi Consular

Sage

Reduced the amount of healing done by Benevolence by 4.86%.

Increased the base Force cost of Rejuvenate from 40 to 50 and the amount of healing done by its initial heal by 10.59%, but reduced the amount of healing done by its heal-over-time by 14.29%.

Reduced the amount of damage absorbed by Force Armor by 5.3%.

Seer

Increased the base Force cost of Deliverance from 45 to 50 and the amount of healing it does by 3.38%.

Reduced the amount of healing done by Healing Trance by 8.74%.

Reduced the amount of healing done by Salvation by 10%.

Increased the base Force cost of Wandering Mend from 65 to 70 and reduced the amount of healing it does by 25.22%.

Conveyance now reduces the activation time of Deliverance by 0.25 seconds (down from 0.5 seconds) and the Force cost of Salvation by 20% (down from 30%); all other Conveyance effects remain unchanged.

Reduced the amount of healing done by Renewal by 14.29%.

Erudite Mender no longer increases the healing done by Wandering Mend by 5%, but still reduces its Force cost.

The Shadowy Veil Utility will now properly grant 30% armor rating for Infiltration and Serenity Shadows.

Shadow Strike no longer has a positional requirement but now deals slightly more damage if used while behind a target and less damage if used while facing a target.

Kinetic Combat

Since Shadow Strike can now regularly be used while face-to-face with a target, Shadow Wrap now causes Shadow Strike to deal increased damage as if you are behind the target regardless of your actual positioning.

Serenity

Increased Force Suppression’s periodic damage boost from 10% to 15%.

Force Focus now increases the damage of Force Breach by 30% (up from 20%).

In addition to its previous effects, Serene Poise now restores 4 Force for each of your damaging periodic effects on a target damaged by your Serenity Strike.

Serenity Strike now replaces Shadow Strike.

Sith Inquisitor

Sorcerer

Reduced the amount of healing done by Dark Heal by 4.86%.

Increased the base Force cost of Resurgence from 40 to 50 and the amount of healing done by its initial heal by 10.59%, but reduced the amount of healing done by its heal-over-time by 14.29%.

Reduced the amount of damage absorbed by Static Barrier by 5.3%.

Corruption

Increased the base Force cost of Dark Infusion from 45 to 50 and the amount of healing it does by 3.38%.

Reduced the amount of healing done by Innervate by 8.74%.

Reduced the amount of healing done by Revivification by 10%.

Increased the base Force cost of Roaming Mend from 65 to 70 and reduced the amount of healing it does by 25.22%.

Force Bending now reduces the activation time of Dark Infusion by 0.25 seconds (down from 0.5 seconds) and the Force cost of Revivification by 20% (down from 30%); all other Force Bending effects remain unchanged.

Reduced the amount of healing done by Renewal by 14.29%.

Secrets of the Dark Side no longer increases the healing done by Roaming Mend by 5%, but still reduces its Force cost.

The Insulation Utility will now properly grant 30% armor rating for Hatred and Deception Assassins.

Maul no longer has a positional requirement but now deals slightly more damage if used while behind a target and less damage if used while facing a target.

Darkness

Since Maul can now regularly be used while face-to-face with a target, Conspirator’s Cloak now causes Maul to deal increased damage as if you are behind the target regardless of your actual positioning.

Hatred

Increased Deathmark’s periodic damage boost from 10% to 15%.

Crackling Charge now increases the damage of Discharge by 30% (up from 20%).

Trooper

Curtain of Fire no longer increases the damage dealt by Boltstorm, but still finishes its active cooldown.

Rotary Cannon no longer improves Full Auto.

The critical damage bonus provided by Deadly Cannon is now 15% (down from 30%).

Decoy now has 2 charges (down from 5).

Assault Specialist

Reduced the critical damage bonus given by Assault Trooper from 30% to 15%.

Reduced the burn damage of Incendiary Round by 10%.

Reduced the bleed damage of Serrated Bolt by 12%.

Vanguard

Increased the damage dealt by Artillery Blitz by roughly 61%, lowered its cooldown to 20 seconds, and fixed its tooltip.

Plasmatech

Increased the Ion Squall damage bonus given by Pulse Generator from 20% to 50%.

Reduced the burn damage of Incendiary Round by 10%.

In addition to its previous effects, Rain of Fire now increases the damage dealt by Incendiary Round by 10%.

Increased the critical damage bonus given by Plasmatic Assault from 10% to 15%.

Flashpoints + Operations + Uprisings

Flashpoints

Black Talon / The Esseles now level sync the player to the appropriate level of the Flashpoints as intended. To match the low difficulty of this content, CXP consumables have been removed from the bosses.

Operations

The fire mines left by Thrasher in Scum and Villainy can no longer be reflected.

The fire damage near the door of the Dread Master Tyrans encounter in Dread Palace can no longer be reflected.

Damage from BO-55 Master Droid’s Rain of Pain ability in The Ravagers can no longer be reflected.

Corrected an issue which was preventing players from progressing past the Infernal Council in the Eternity Vault.

Uprisings

Due to their higher difficulty and longer completion time, an additional Command Experience Consumable has been added to the final boss of the Divided We Fall, Landing Party, and Trial and Error Uprisings.

Corrected an issue where a closed door would block progress in the Trial and Error Uprising.

Items + Economy

The following Decorations from the Nar Shaddaa Nightlife event can now be donated to a player’s Guild:

Dynamic Underworld Ceiling Light (Blue)

Dynamic Underworld Ceiling Light (Red)

Dynamic Underworld Ceiling Light (Yellow)

Gambler’s Bar

Gambler’s Mic Stand

Gambler’s Party Floor

The two Stronghold Decorations that shared the name “Network Security Monitor” have been renamed to differentiate them:

Corrected a typo in the Mission [WEEKLY] Story Uprisings Mission which stated the player needed to complete 10 Uprisings, when they only need to complete 5.

XenoAnalyst II from the Relics of the Gree event now drops Grey Helix Components as intended.

Players who abandoned the Iokath Mission “Facing the Machines of War” can once again acquire it.

Orbital Recon Probes will now always drop Orbital Recon Probe Memory Cores, even if they self-destruct (nice try, Orbital Recon Probes!). This is the objective of the Looking for Signs Daily Mission on Ziost.

The [WEEKLY] Gods From The Machine Mission objective has been updated to require that the player kills Aivela and Esne.

Walking onto the ramp during “The Forgotten World” Mission on Iokath will no longer reset the encounter.